Cheesy aubergine and tomato pasta 🍆

This dish is a staple mid-week meal! It can be batch-prepped, and is great for a baby-led style lunch or dinner - with soft cooked veggie batons and pasta pieces - and plum tomatoes for added vitamin C and anti-oxidants

I LOVE malfalda corta pasta shapes, but you can use any palm-sized pieces like rigatoni tubes, penne, or fusilli for babies 6-7 months +

YOU NEED

(Serves 4 adults, or a combination of adults and babies)

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1 aubergine, sliced into batons

• 1 courgette, sliced into batons

• 250g plum cherry tomatoes, diced

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated

• Stock cube, low salt

• 1 teaspoon of oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon of paprika

• Black pepper in a grinder

• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

• Handful of parsley, finely chopped

• 80g cheddar cheese, grated

• Optional: handful of black olives, sliced into halves or quarters (for older babies and adults only)

• 80g pasta per adult (for babies 6-7 months+ try palm-sized pieces like rigatoni tubes, penne, or fusilli)

TO MAKE

• Boil a kettle. Cook your pasta as per packet instructions, then drain.

• Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat a drizzle of oil in a pan on a medium high heat, add the aubergine and courgette, cook for 5 mins or so until starting to soften and char a little.

• Then add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, stock, oregano and paprika, and around 100mls boiled water (or pasta water) and simmer for 8-10 mins or until your sauce starts to thicken.

• Add the pasta to the saucepan, season with black pepper and add the balsamic vinegar, the parsley and the cheese (and olives if using) and give everything a good stir through, cook for 1-2 mins further then serve!